Despite
sporting the best record of any Division
I school over the last 23 years and
having a coach with a 53-9 record,
Miami ended 2005 in turmoil. The 40-3
loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl (and
the subsequent loss in the fight with
the Tigers in the stadium tunnel afterwards)
set in motion a housecleaning of Coker’s
staff. Five assistant coaches, including
25-year Miami veteran Art Kehoe, were
let go as Coker cited bad chemistry
within the staff and the need for
new blood. Molding his staff into
a cohesive unit this spring has to
be priority #1. There won’t
be any major system changes, nor should
there be.

On
the field, the Hurricanes need only
some tweaking, not a major overhaul.
Offensively, better blocking up front
and more creative play calling would
allow Miami to again become an offensive
juggernaut—the talent is there.
Defensively, steady as she goes should
be defensive coordinator Randy Shannon’s
motto. There is no reason this team
should lose to anyone 40-3, and it
if happens again Coker won’t
have anyone to blame but himself.
The Hurricanes don’t have an
easy schedule, but they get their
toughest opponents, Florida State,
Virginia Tech, and Boston College,
in the friendly confines of the Orange
Bowl. The only road games that pose
any challenge are trips to Louisville
and Georgia Tech. Miami should win
the Coastal Division of the ACC, and
anything less than a 10-2 regular
season record would be underachieving.

QuarterbackJunior
Kyle Wright’s size and arm strength
could be used as the prototype for an NFL
quarterback, but he still has some work
to do on his game. Wright had a solid first
season as the Hurricane starter, but he
needs to improve his decision making under
duress. In the ‘Canes’ three
losses last season, the Florida State, Georgia
Tech, and LSU defenses put tons of pressure
on Wright, and he didn’t handle it
very well. He’s not a particularly
mobile quarterback, as his ‘05 rushing
total (-101 yards) would show, so it is
critical he makes his reads quicker and
delivers the ball into the hands of his
playmakers. When Wright had time to sit
in the pocket last season, he usually excelled
and will continue to do so this season.
Backing him up is talented-yet-unproven
sophomore Kirby Freeman, who is not as big
and strong as Wright but more of a threat
with his legs.

Running
BackAs
usual, Miami will have good depth at running
back. Assuming he comes back 100% from a
torn ACL, senior Tyrone Moss will be the
feature back. He scored 12 touchdowns before
going down against Virginia Tech last season.
Moss’ 4.45 speed makes him a legitimate
home-run threat, but he needs to develop
some pass-catching skills (only two receptions
in his career). Junior Charlie Jones stepped
in when Moss was injured last season and
provided solid production. Jones is more
of a between-the-tackles runner and is deceptively
strong for his size (5’10’,
203 pounds). Junior Andrew Johnson, a high-school
sprint champion, will also get some carries,
as will sophomore Derron Thomas, another
breakaway threat with 4.33 speed. Junior
James Bryant will start at fullback. A converted
linebacker, Bryant uses that aggressive
mentality to make him an effective lead
blocker who doesn’t need the ball
to be a key part of the running game.

ReceiverSenior
Ryan Moore will finally realize his potential
as top wide receiver. Moore was well on
his way toward stardom after a big freshman
season, but he was hobbled with a foot injury
as a sophomore and was still not as productive
last season. Moore is not the typical speed
demon you picture as a Hurricane wide receiver.
He is more of a possession receiver who
can out leap and outmuscle defenders in
the red zone. Senior wideout Darnell Jenkins
will be the other starter, but he has averaged
only ten yards per catch. Speedy juniors
Lance Leggett and Khalil Jones will also
see playing time. They will be counted on
to stretch defenses and make some big plays
on their own.

Offensive
LineMiami’s
offensive line was a disappointment last
season and will have to rely on four new
starters to raise its level of play. With
so many strong recruiting classes, improvements
should follow. Pass blocking in particular
was an issue (gave up 36 sacks last year,
including nine by Florida State and seven
by Georgia Tech). The lone returning starter
is center Anthony Wollschlager. The senior
finally made it through a year healthy and
excelled at run blocking. He had an exceptional
game against Virginia Tech, literally flattening
the Hokies with eight pancakes, and should
be even better this season. He’ll
need to be with so much experience elsewhere
on the line. Two juniors, Andrew Bain and
Derrick Morse, will start at the guard positions.
Bain is big enough (6’3”, 317
pounds) to play tackle and agile enough
to excel at guard. Morse started six games
as a freshman and will need to bounce back
from an injury-marred 2005. Sophomore Reggie
Youngblood will inherit the left tackle
position from all-American Eric Winston.
Youngblood is big and athletic and will
move toward earning his own national recognition.
The other tackle position is up for grabs
in preseason camp, and we will let you know
who grabs it up.

Tight
EndWright’s
other primary target will be junior Greg
Olsen. After catching eight passes for 137
yards in last season’s opener vs.
Florida State, Olsen never had more than
three receptions in a game the rest of the
way. New offensive coordinator Rich Olson
simply must figure out how to get the ball
in his hands more often. Olsen is a thoroughbred
who was too often treated as a Clydesdale
last season. His backup, sophomore Chris
Zellner, is a converted defensive end who
is more of a blocker than a pass receiving
threat.

OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWNAfter
speculation that Head Coach Larry Coker
would assume the duties of offensive coordinator,
he decided instead to hire former Hurricane
assistant Rich Olson. This is Olson’s
13th stop in his coaching career. After
leaving Miami in 1994, he spent the next
11 years in the NFL with five different
teams. Not very many of those teams were
particularly productive, however, and it
not clear what impact he will have leading
the Hurricanes’ revamped offensive
staff. Don’t expect many significant
changes, though. Olson’s primary focus
needs to be the offensive line, and Coker
can put his vision in motion with the ball-handlers.
Miami has plenty of potential at the skill
positions, they just need to keep the quarterback
upright and give their talented runners
holes to get through.

TE
Greg Olsen

MIAMI
FL 2006 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters/Key
Players

OFFENSE

QB

Kyle
Wright-Jr (6-4, 220)

Kirby
Freeman-So (6-3, 204)

FB

Jerrell
Mabry-Fr (6-1, 259)

Mark
Lisante-Sr (6-1, 227)

TB

Tyrone
Moss-Sr (5-9, 220)

Charlie
Jones-Jr (5-10, 203)
Derron Thomas-So (5-9, 190)

WR

Ryan
Moore-Sr (6-3, 215)

Lance
Leggett-Jr (6-4, 184)

WR

Darnell
Jenkins-Sr (5-10, 181)

Khalil
Jones-So (6-2, 208)

TE

Greg
Olsen-Jr (6-5, 252)

Chris
Zellner-So (6-2, 227)

OT

Reggie
Youngblood-So (6-5, 280)

Chris
Rutledge-Fr (6-5, 311)

OG

Andrew
Bain-Jr (6-3, 217)

A.J.
Trump-Fr (6-3, 297)

C

Anthony
Wollschlager-Sr (6-4, 281)

Jonathan
St. Pierre-So (6-3, 301)

OG

Derrick
Morse-Jr (6-4, 295)

Alex
Pou-Sr (6-4, 280)

OT

Tyrone
Byrd-So (6-5, 280)

Cyrim
Wimbs-Jr (6-3, 321)

K

Jon
Peattie-Sr (6-2, 206)

..

2006
DEFENSE

Defensive
LineFoes
struggled against them last year, and the
Hurricanes will again have a veteran defensive
line featuring three senior starters, end
Bryan Pata and tackles Baraka Atkins and
Kareem Brown. Pata is the best pass rusher
of the group. Although he only recorded
two sacks last season, he had 14 quarterback
hurries. He possesses excellent quickness
and speed for a 272 pounder. Atkins has
played both tackle and end. He has demonstrated
his playmaking ability with 20 career tackles
for loss and 13 sacks. He is explosive off
the line and can dominate as he gets stronger.
Brown moves into the starting lineup and
is a good run stuffer who also rushes the
passer well for an interior lineman. Sophomore
Eric Moncur will give Miami another excellent
pass rusher coming off the edge as he fills
the other end position. This is a gifted,
versatile defensive line, but when isn’t
there one at the front of the Cane’s
D?

LinebackerMiami’s
linebacking corps will be anchored by two
returning junior starters, Jon Beason and
Romeo Davis. Beason will man the weakside
linebacker position but is versatile enough
to play all three spots. He is stronger
than his size (6’0”, 225 pounds)
would indicate and needs to step up and
be a more aggressive playmaker. Davis will
be the full-time middle linebacker and plays
the run very well. He needs to improve his
pass coverage, but has the quickness to
stay with tight ends or running backs. Junior
Tavares Gooden will bolster the group at
strongside linebacker. He missed all but
one game last season with a separated shoulder
but started during most of the 2004 season
and recorded 83 tackles. Sophomore Willie
Williams, he of the checkered past and nearly
unlimited potential, will have more opportunity
to show it this season. This is an outstanding
unit with strength, speed, and quickness
that would match that of any linebackers
in the nation.

Defensive
BackThe
Hurricanes secondary is led by hard-hitting
senior Brandon Meriweather. The strong safety
plays the run well and, like many superior
Cane DBs of the past, also has exceptional
closing speed in pass coverage. Meriweather
led Miami in tackles, including 12 for loss,
an exceptional number for a defensive back.
Junior Kenny Phillips returns at free safety.
Phillips has been described by coaches as
having “the body of Sean Taylor and
the knowledge and speed of Ed Reed”,
referring to two recent former Hurricanes
who were NFL first-round picks. The cornerback
situation is more unsettled. Sophomores
Randy Phillips and Bruce Johnson will get
first crack at the starting spots. Phillips
was the nickel back last season, showing
lots of speed and also drawing comparisons
to Taylor and Reed. Johnson was one of the
highest rated corners in the 2005 recruiting
class and will have the opportunity to show
his speed and playmaking ability. You won’t
find more speed in a secondary anywhere.

DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWNMiami
finished the 2005 regular season second
in the nation in scoring defense and third
in yards allowed per game. Despite being
a bit less experienced this year, they are
actually more talented. The only potential
weakness is at cornerback, where two new
starters must be broken in, but even there
the ‘Canes have plenty of talent.
The line will dominate and the safeties
will make receivers think twice about coming
over the middle. Miami’s linebackers
are not big playmakers, but they are steady
and cover ground. The Hurricanes will again
quietly sport one of the best defenses in
the nation.

DT
Baraka Atkins

MIAMI
FL 2006 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters/Key
Players

DEFENSE

DE

Baraka
Atkins-Sr (6-4, 264)

Eric
Moncur-So (6-2, 253)

DT

Kareem
Brown-Sr (6-4, 307)

Antonio
Dixon-So (6-3, 338)

DT

Teraz
McCray-Jr (6-1, 278)

Luqman
Abdullah-Fr (6-3, 309)
Vegas Franklin-Jr (6-3, 246)

DE

Bryan
Pata-Sr (6-4, 272)

Calais
Campbell-So (6-8, 254)

SLB

Tavares
Gooden-Jr (6-2, 220)

Romeo
Davis-Jr (6-3, 221)

MLB

Glenn
Cook-Jr (6-0, 212)

Darryl
Sharpton-Fr (5-11, 218)

WLB

Jon
Beason-Jr (6-0, 225)

Willie
Williams-So (6-3, 232)

CB

Glenn
Sharpe-Jr (6-0, 187)

Bruce
Johnson-So (5-11, 168)

CB

Randy
Phillips-So (6-0, 185)

Carlos
Armour-So (6-3, 194)

SS

Kenny
Phillips-So (6-2, 200)

Willie
Cooper-Jr (6-1, 200)

FS

Brandon
Meriweather-Sr (6-0, 188)

Lovon
Ponder-So (6-0, 204)
Anthony Reddick-So (6-0, 197)

P

Brian
Monroe-Sr (6-2, 208)

..

2006
SPECIAL TEAMS

KickerSenior
Jon Peattie could threaten the school’s
all-time scoring record with a big season. He
is a solid field goal kicker inside the 50, but
Peattie is also inconsistent. He actually has
a higher success rate between the 40-49 yard lines
(75%) than between the 30-39 (67%). Peattie also
missed five extra points just last season. Senior
Brian Monroe will handle kickoff duties. He had
nearly 2/3 of his kicks returned last season,
a number that needs to decrease this year.

PunterBrian
Monroe returns for his fourth season. He doesn’t
kick big, booming punts, but they have excellent
hang time. Monroe dropped 24 punts inside the
opponents’ 20-yard line last season and
only half of his kicks were returnable.

Return
GameThe
Hurricanes take a hit on punt returns with the
early departure of Devin Hester. Senior Darnell
Jenkins and Ryan Moore will now share that role.
Neither player has shown the ability to break
out for big returns in limited opportunities.
Jenkins will again be the primary kickoff returner.
He posted solid but not exceptional numbers last
season. Miami always has a surplus of athletes,
so they have plenty of speed to fill coverage
teams. They were strong covering kickoffs last
season and outstanding on punt coverage. They
will have a new coordinator this year, possibly
even Coker himself, but the results will continue
to be impressive.